by Elaine Seager

Created on: February 18, 2009   Last Updated: March 02, 2009

You have two choices during a recession. Either you can buy in to the doom and gloom and reduce your marketing because business is slowing or you can see it as an opportunity to gain ground over your panicking competitors. During every recession there are always businesses who come out on top. That said, this is not the time to be irresponsible. Small businesses need to be careful about where they spend their money and focus on testing and measuring to make sure it's worth it.

The rule for small businesses is to find your niche, have a very precise target audience, choose your specific marketing channels wisely and use them often. Precision and consistency should be your mantra at any time but even more so now. And, this is also a good time to look for ways to dominate and stand out. For example, if you're doing radio advertising, dominate a single programme or time of day; condense your exposure so that you look bigger than you actually are.

Of course, with the downward pressure on budgets it is also time to get creative and look for ways to promote your business for little or no money. Are you making the most of your current marketing opportunities? Could your stationery be more sales focused? Ask suppliers about any extras they can provide. For example, if you're booking advertising ask about getting editorial coverage, promotions, linking to websites, mentions in newsletters etc. Always ask for more even if you don't know what they've got to offer.

Whatever you do, test and measure but also give it time to work too. One of the biggest wastes of money is to pull a campaign too early before it even has a chance to work.

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